San Clemente football blanks Tustin behind Jaxson Rex and ‘amazing’ defense

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SAN CLEMENTE — Public-school pride and early-season Orange County rankings were at stake Friday as Tustin and San Clemente ran onto the field for their nonleague football game.

Jaxson Rex made sure the Tritons collected all the spoils.

The senior returned an interception for a touchdown, rushed for a score and dished out hard hits to lead host San Clemente to a 17-0 victory in their home opener.

San Clemente’s defense pressured Tustin quarterback Ayden Edwards and contained wide receiver Hayden Koo in handing the Tillers their first shutout loss since 2022.

“It was amazing,” Rex said of the Tritons’ defensive effort. “We stopped everything. Their run. Their pass. Everything. Coach (Jaime) Ortiz schemed it up so perfectly.”

San Clemente avenged a 30-17 loss to Tustin last season in the teams’ season-opener.

The Tritons (2-0), who were ranked No. 7 in the Orange County preseason rankings, opened their season last week in Hawaii by defeating Kapa’a 23-8. Kapa’a is ranked No. 14 in Hawaii by MaxPreps.

The game served as the season-opener for Tustin, ranked eighth in the county.

The defeat may have been costly for the Tillers. They lost standout lineman Jon Ioane and Edwards to injuries, Tustin coach Anthony Lopez said. “He hyper-extended his knee,” Lopez said of Ioane. “Ayden we sent to the hospital. He might have broke his collarbone.”

San Clemente capitalized on a miscue by Tustin on the second half kickoff to open a 20-0 lead. The Tritons recovered the kickoff at the Tustin 6 after the Tillers failed to cover the ball. One play later, Rex scored on a sweep.

Rex, a senior who is committed to BYU, helped set the tone for the Tritons’ defense during a turnover-filled first quarter.

Late in the period, the safety intercepted a tipped pass on first-and-goal from the 5 and raced 95 yards for a touchdown.

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Rex’s burst into the open field with an interception conjured memories of his 97-yard interception for a score against Leuzinger in the CIF-SS Division 2 semifinals last season.

“He’s legit,” Lopez said of Rex. “Phenomenal.”

Rex’s takeaway, with 2:17 left in the first quarter, contributed to a stellar opening half by San Clemente’s defense.

The unit kept Tustin off the scoreboard after the Tillers forced three turnovers deep in the Tritons’ territory. Tustin started its first three drives at San Clemente 30, 36 and 37-yard lines but came away empty.

San Clemente cornerback Jack Dunbar ended the first possession with an interception in his end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 8.

Early in the second quarter, San Clemente safety Cade Hogan broke up a fourth-down pass intended for Koo. On the next possession, Rex made one of his two tackles for a loss.

In the second half, San Clemente defensive end Drew Della Vedova recorded a sack for another fourth-down stop.

“I told our kids, all week long, it’s going to be a team game and that’s how they played,” Ortiz said. “Tustin is a very talented football team. They have some explosive players and for us to counteract that, we’re going to have to play together.”

San Clemente extended its lead to 10-0 on a 28-yard field goal by Ethan Miller with 28.2 seconds left in the first half. The Tritons started the scoring drive at the Tustin 32 after a short punt.

Defensive tackle Jeremiah Williams led Tustin’s defense with a forced fumble, fumble recovery and tackle for loss.

Next week, Tustin renews its rivalry with Foothill on Aug. 28.

San Clemente has a bye next week before playing at Chaparral on Sept. 4. The Tritons will be the third consecutive Orange County team to play Chaparral this season, joining Mission Viejo and San Juan Hills.

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